Singapore Budget 2019: Tighter tax rules on booze and other buys

Singapore

THE expansion of goods and services tax (GST) to cross-border shipments worth less than S$400 was missing from the Budget for the second year in a row. Fiscal hawks had hoped for such a levy on Monday, especially with a "Netflix tax" on foreign online services unveiled last year.

Instead, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat rolled out tighter tax and duty measures on liquor and overseas purchases entering Singapore.

This was part of his "differentiated fiscal strategy", involving public debt for major infrastructure investments and recurrent revenues, like taxes…